• The No. 2-ranked Washburn Ichabods return to the Central time zone with a pair of games starting Friday at the Central Regional Classic in historic Municipal Auditorium.
• The Ichabods will face a pair of familiar faces when the take on MSU Moorhead on Friday at 4 p.m. then wrap up the two day event with No. 9-ranked Minnesota State on Saturday.
• The Ichabods went 1-1 at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic on Nov. 7 and Nov. 8 to open the season topping No. 11 Point Loma 85-81 before falling to No. 4-ranked West Liberty 91-85 in a pair of top-15 matchups.
• MSU Moorhead will be playing their first games of the season … the Dragons did fall drop an exhibition game at North Dakota State on Oct. 22, 80-74 to the Bison.
• MSUM was selected to finish eighth in the NSIC preseason coaches' poll and was selected to finish second in the North Division with 42 points with a first-place vote …last season the Dragons were 14-16 overall reaching the NSIC Quarterfinals.
• Minnesota State was tabbed ninth in the NABC Preseason Coaches Poll and picked in the top spot of the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll.
• Last season, the Mavericks went 21-12 overall and 13-9 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play, losing to St. Cloud State in the semifinals of the conference tournament.
• The Ichabods have gone 62-7 the last three-plus seasons with two MIAA regular season championships, an MIAA Tournament Championships and an NCAA Central Regional Championship.
• The Ichabods have recorded 32, 20-win seasons in program history and six under Ichabod head coach Brett Ballard in his 10 seasons receiving four NCAA postseason berths coaching the to back to back 30-win seasons including two of the three 30-win seasons in program history.
• The 2026-27 season marks the 121st season of Ichabod basketball.
• The Washburn Ichabods were picked atop the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media polls released Oct. 6 by the league office. Washburn received 12 of 14 first-place votes and 168 points in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, finishing ahead of Central Missouri, which earned one first-place vote and 154 points. Missouri Western was selected third with 123 points, followed by Missouri Southern, which also received a first-place vote, at 120 points. The Ichabods were an even more decisive choice among members of the media, collecting all 30 first-place votes and 392 points in the MIAA Preseason Media Poll. • Tyson Ruud was named to the all-classic team in Florida at the Small Basketball College Hall of Fame Classic last weekend after averaging 20 points and 9.5 rebounds per game … he scored a career-high 25 against West Liberty adding 13 rebounds for his second career double double while going 10 of 12 from the field.
• Brody Owen started both games in Florida and averaged 13.5 points with 3.5 assists per game in his first college competition.
• Tyler Salmon returned to the court after redshirting last season to average 16.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in two games going 6 of 14 from 3-point range.
• Jack Bachelor averaged 15 points with 3.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds per contest going 13 of 15 from the free throw line in both games last weekend … he moved into 12th on the Ichabod all-time scoring chart and needs just 12 more to pass former teammate Andrew Orr for 11th with 1,361 points.
• Kade Cook was 7 of 10 from the field in his first two starts at Washburn adding eight total rebounds.
  • Ichabod head coach Brett Ballard needs one more win to secure his 200th on the Ichabod bench.
• Washburn has scored 85 points in each of its first two games.
• The Ichabods have scored 112 of their 170 points in the second half.
• Washburn has had four players score at least 15 points in the opening two games.
• The Ichabods have recorded 10 steals against West Liberty after recording eight against Point Loma.
• Washburn has scored 72 points in the paint through two games.
• The Ichabods have scored 38 second-chance points.
• Opponents have scored 26 fast-break points compared to 11 for Washburn.
  WASHBURN ICHABOD HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD ...
• is 199-82 in his tenth season as the Ichabods' head coach and 232-112 overall in his 12th year as a head coach.
• has led the Ichabods to five NCAA postseason appearances in eight seasons at Washburn as well as the 2021 MIAA Tournament Championship and the 2025 MIAA Regular season title.
• was named the Washburn Ichabod men's basketball head coach on April 6, 2017 after spending the 2014-15 to 2016-17 seasons as an assistant coach with the Wake Forest and Tulsa basketball programs after working under head coach Danny Manning 2012-17 seasons.
• prior to taking over the head coaching position at Baker, Ballard spent seven years on Bill Self's staff at Kansas, his alma mater.
• he played two years for the Jayhawks under head coach Roy Williams from 2000-02 after transferring from Hutchinson Community College. In his two seasons as a Jayhawk, the team reached the 2001 NCAA Sweet Sixteen and appeared in the 2002 NCAA Final Four in Atlanta.
• he earned his bachelor's degree in secondary education from Kansas in 2003 earning an Academic All-Big 12 selection as a senior for his efforts in the classroom.
• he is 2-0 against MSU Moorhead and 2-1 against Minnesota State on the Ichabod bench.
 
MSU MOORHEAD HEAD COACH JASON KEMP...
• in his second season as head coach in Moorhead.
• the Dragons finished Kemp's inaugural season with a 14-16 overall record, including 10 NSIC victories.
• was most recently was an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minn. … while on the Golden Gopher staff, he helped guide the program to an NIT second round berth in 2024.
• is 0-1 against the Ichabods.
 
MINNESOTA STATE HEAD COACH MATT MARGENTHALER ...
• enters his 26th season at the helm of the Mavericks, owning a career record of 529-235 (.692).
•  he is a 1991 Western Illinois graduate, and has guided the Mavericks to eight conference championships, 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and an NCAA Division II Championship during the 2023-24 season in his 25 years with the program.
• is 1-2 against the Ichabods.
  • MSUM was selected to finish eighth in the NSIC preseason coaches' poll behind 140 points. Additionally, Moorhead was selected to finish second in the North Division with 42 points and a first-place vote. Minnesota State topped the overall poll while Minnesota Duluth was predicted to win the North Division.
• guard Isa ElAmin was tabbed as MSUM's preseason 'Player To Watch'. The recognition comes after El-Amin earned All-NSIC Second Team honors in 2025-26. The Minnetonka, Minn., native led the Dragons in total points (443), points per game (14.8), assists (106)
and steals (38) during the season.
• The Dragons Moorhead faced off against NCAA Division I North Dakota State on October 22 in an exhibition game in Fargo. Transfer Kayden Nation led the Dragons with 17 points, including five made three-pointers. True freshman Lincoln Rogers looked sharp already as well, netting 12 points and seven rebounds. El-Amin also scored 12 points while leading MSUM with six assists. Newcomers Nashawn Holmes and Ja'Quez Thornton each added eight points for the Dragons as well. The game had 11 lead changes and was tied 11 different times. North Dakota State would put together a late rally to win, 80-74.
  • The Ichabods lead the all-time series with the Dragons 2-1 in three all-time match ups.
• Washburn topped MSUM 95-63 at the Central Regional Classic held at Pittsburg State on Nov. 14 last season.
• Washburn won the only meeting in Topeka in a 93-65 win in the 2025 NCAA Central Regional Championship game in Lee Arena sending the Ichabods to the NCAA Elite Eight.
• The other meeting between the Ichabods and the Dragons came in a 79-77 loss to the Dragons on Nov. 12, 2023 in Kansas City at the Central Regional Challenge in Municipal Auditorium.
  • Minnesota State was selected as the favorite in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Poll,  and senior guard Arhman Lewis was also named the Mavericks' Player to Watch for the 2026-27 season.
• Minnesota State finished 21-12 overall and 13-9 in NSIC play during the 2025-26 season.
• Lewis returns after earning First Team All-NSIC honors last season playing in all 33 games making 30 starts while averaging 12.3 points and a team-leading 5.8 assists per game and he was ranked second in the NSIC in assists and led the league with a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio … also earned South Division Player of the Week honors twice during his first season with the Mavericks after transferring from Emporia State
• Also returning for the Mavericks is senior guard Traijan Sain, who earned Second Team All-NSIC recognition in 2025-26. Sain appeared in 32 games and made 24 starts while averaging 12.6 points per game. He scored 404 points on the season, second-most on the team, and ranked third on the squad with 141 made field goals. Minnesota State also returns Caden Kirkman, Will Opsahl and Carson Schweim, all of whom appeared in more than 25 games last season. Returning Mavericks Phoenix Childs, AJ Bender, Ganden Gasch and Colton Benson add further experience to the roster. The Mavericks also welcome several newcomers, including Jamestown transfer Thomas Diew, along with junior-college transfers Aric Walls, Wylee Dauenbaugh and Preston Thielke. Freshmen Brock Badding and Bryce Ott round out the 2026-27 roster.
  • the all-time series with the Mavericks is tied 2-2.
• Washburn has won the last two meeting - both in Kansas City inside Municipal Auditorium with an 85-68 win on Nov. 9, 2024 and a 78-71 win on Nov. 8, 2019 in overtime.
• The teams also met on a neutral site in a 77-70 Maverick win on Nov. 14, 2014 at the Pentagon Basketball Showcase in Sioux Falls, S.D.
• The first meeting was on Dec. 20, 1949 in Enid, Oklahoma in a 74-45 Ichabod loss.
  (Nov. 8, 2026) LAKELAND, Fla. -- No. 2-ranked Washburn nearly erased a 26-point first-half deficit, rallying within three points in the closing minute before ultimately falling 91-85 to No. 4 West Liberty in the final game of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic on Sunday night at Jenkins Field House.
The Ichabods (1-1) struggled with turnovers and West Liberty's perimeter shooting in the opening 20 minutes as the Hilltoppers (1-1) built a 50-26 halftime advantage, but Washburn battled back with a dominant second-half performance, outscoring West Liberty 59-41 and cutting the deficit to as few as three with 18 seconds remaining.
Tyson Ruud turned in the second double-double of his career, recording a career-high 25 points while pulling down 13 rebounds. Ruud finished 10 of 12 from the field and added three steals and a block in a standout all-around effort.
West Liberty came out firing to start the game, forcing Washburn into 12 first-half turnovers that led to 21 Hilltopper points while shooting 52.6 percent from behind the 3-point line in the opening frame. The Hilltoppers used a 9-0 run in the first three minutes to take control, stretching a 4-0 lead into a 9-0 advantage with 16:57 remaining in the half.
After Ruud scored Washburn's first basket with 16:34 to play, West Liberty continued to capitalize on Ichabod miscues. A 3-pointer by Aiden Davis pushed the margin to 12-2 and later triples by Myles Montgomery, Cody Schmitz and Judson Coan helped the Hilltoppers build a 22-4 lead with 11:25 left in the half.
Washburn trailed 32-11 after another Davis 3-pointer with 8:06 remaining before Ruud helped stabilize the offense. The junior scored seven points over the final eight minutes of the half, but West Liberty answered repeatedly from long range and closed the half on a 10-4 run to carry a 50-26 lead into the locker room.
The contrast between halves could not have been greater. After committing 12 turnovers in the first half, Washburn turned the ball over only three times after halftime while forcing 11 West Liberty miscues in the second period. The Hilltoppers scored 21 points off turnovers in the opening half and none in the second, while Washburn turned second-half turnovers into 15 points.
Brody Owen also found another gear after halftime. Held to just three points in the first half, Owen scored 11 of his 14 points in the final 20 minutes while adding five assists and three steals for the game.
The Ichabods immediately showed signs of life after intermission. Ruud scored four early points and Owen converted a steal into a layup as Washburn opened the half with a 14-9 surge to trim the deficit to 59-43 on Jack Bachelor's 3-pointer with 15:57 left.
West Liberty answered several times to keep the margin in double figures, but Washburn continued chipping away behind its inside game. Consecutive baskets by Kade Cook cut the deficit to 66-52, and later Ruud's alley-oop finish from Owen brought the Ichabods within 15 at 60-75 with 9:08 remaining.
The comeback intensified over the final eight minutes. Tyler Salmon knocked down a second-chance 3-pointer to make it 77-63 before Owen and Carson Yale combined on a transition dunk that reduced the margin to 79-67. Owen then hit two free throws, and Ruud followed with a pair of foul shots and a steal-and-dunk sequence during a 10-0 Washburn run that pulled the Ichabods within 79-73 with 4:42 remaining.
After West Liberty briefly pushed the lead back to 11, Owen buried a 3-pointer and Jack Bachelor drilled a transition triple off an Owen assist to make it 84-79 with 1:37 to play. Salmon added a free throw to trim the deficit to four before Ruud scored inside with 43 seconds left to cut the margin to 86-82.
Bachelor knocked down a free throw with 33 seconds remaining and Owen sank two free throws with 18 seconds left to bring Washburn within three at 88-85. West Liberty, however, converted three of its final four free throws in the closing seconds to secure the 91-85 victory.
Along with Ruud's 25-point, 13-rebound performance, Bachelor finished with 15 points, Owen scored 14 and Salmon added 13. Cook chipped in seven points and five rebounds while Yale contributed five points and three rebounds off the bench.
West Liberty placed six players in double figures, led by Montgomery's 20 points. Cameron Williams added 13 points. The Hilltoppers, who shot 50.8 percent overall and connected on 13 of 30 attempts from 3-point range.
For the game, Washburn shot 49.1 percent (28 of 57) from the field and outrebounded West Liberty 36-31, including a 24-8 advantage in second-chance points. The Ichabods scored 36 points in the paint and committed 15 turnovers, but 12 of those came during the decisive first half when West Liberty built its commanding lead.
Ruud was named to the All-Classic Team.
  • The Ichabods are1,739-1,141-2 all-time in the 122nd year in the program's history.
• Washburn is the seventh-winningest program in NCAA Division II history by victories.
• Washburn is 740-330 since joining the conference and the NCAA.
• The Ichabods have recorded 32 20-win seasons and they have two 30-win seasons after going 35-4 during the 1986-87 NAIA Championship season and after the 2024-25 season's 30-4 record.
• Washburn has won 23 conference championships including 12 MIAA titles.
• Washburn has received 17 NCAA Tournament bids going to four Elite Eight's appearing in the 2001 NCAA National Championship game.
  • The Ichabods are 528-104 (.831) all-time in Lee Arena.
• The 2025-26 season marks the 41st season of play in Lee Arena.
• The Ichabods are 40-1 all-time in home openers.
• The Ichabods have a current 29-game homecourt winning streak from the start of the 2024-25 season to their last win over Missouri Southern breaking the previous school-record 28-game winning streak from Nov. 19, 1993 to Feb. 8, 1995 in Lee Arena.
  • The Ichabods will return to Kansas City on Nov. 18 with a trip to Rockhurst then open their home slate on Nov. 24 with Southwestern and then Oklahoma Baptist on Nov. 27 before opening MIAA play at Northwest Missouri on Dec. 2.